Thomas Potter, LCSW

Thomas Potter is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with 20 years of experience. He practices from Oklahoma and offers a calm, straightforward style that aims to make the first step easier for people who feel nervous about starting therapy.

He has worked in community mental health, hospice settings, and with Veterans. That range informs a practical view of life changes, grief, caregiving stress, and end-of-life concerns. He draws on hands-on experience rather than jargon.

Thomas describes his work as collaborative. Clients set the agenda while he helps identify issues to address. He focuses on strengths and on what can be done in the here and now.

In sessions he uses cognitive behavioral techniques along with client-centered and mindfulness approaches. He also draws on motivational interviewing and narrative work to help people change unhelpful patterns and tell more useful stories about their lives.

Thomas wants people to feel heard and able to speak without reservation. If the fit does not feel right, he will assist with a transition to another therapist. His goal is to help people meet their goals and manage stress, anxiety, trauma, sleep problems, depression, and related concerns.

Practical issues like caregiving burden, body image, midlife questions, and work-related compassion fatigue are all within his focus. Sessions aim to be clear, direct, and relevant to daily life.

Approaches that guide online sessions

Thomas uses cognitive behavioral therapy to help people identify unhelpful thinking and try practical changes in behavior; this approach is useful for anxiety, depression, sleep problems, and stress. He also uses client-centered therapy, which means sessions focus on the person's concerns with an emphasis on listening, respect, and supporting the client's choices. Mindfulness therapy is another tool he brings in to teach basic present-moment skills that can reduce reactivity and improve sleep and mood.

Finding the right approach is part of the work together. Thomas will collaborate with each person to pick strategies that match their goals and preferences. That might mean trying CBT techniques for a few weeks, adding mindfulness practice, or using narrative techniques to reframe difficult experiences.

Online formats include video calls, phone sessions, live chat, and text-based messaging. Video is useful for a fuller conversation and visual cues, phone can fit a short check-in when bandwidth is limited, live chat is good for quick processing, and messaging lets people reflect between sessions. These options make it easier to schedule consistent work and adapt sessions to day-to-day life.